Built in the late 1800s, the iconic and historical Lau Pa Sat is a modern food court located just a short 10 minute walk away from the Merlion, Marina Bay and Chinatown. Some may also refer to this food court as Telok Ayer Market which is the historical Malay name for this market.
The stunning octagonal heritage building is made from iron and sports massive fans to push the air around the structure. Packed within the building area clusters of food stalls selling a wide range of foods including Indian, Singaporean, Korean and even Western.
We’ve tried a few dishes from a few stalls here including roasted pork noodles, Mango Milk Ice and roasted chicken rice.
While we loved each one of these dishes, we could have spent day after day here trying out all the different stalls. And honestly, this food court caters to all tastes!
Those looking for halal food will find it here no problem as there are a number of Indonesian, Malay and Indian stalls. If you’re not too worried about official halal certification, but just want to avoid pork, there are also lots of stalls like this too.
What’s really handy about this hawker centre is that it’s central but also open really late. This means you can stay out late near Merlion and Marina Bay and still get something to eat here. Just know that some stalls start to close at around 9 or 10 and the number of stalls still open as the night winds on does dwindle.
We really love Lau Pa Sat. Some food critics might say that this place is not authentic because it’s an odd shape, the stalls are more modern than other food centres and that there are a lot of tourists here. But we can safely say that this is a proper hawker centre. It’s just more modern than many others, but the variety of food and the prices are similar.
So if you want a bite to eat late at night or are lazy to make a long trek to a hawker centre in one of the suburbs, then we highly recommend Lau Pa Sat. It really is good.
Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay, Singapore
Opening hours: 24 hours (most stalls close during the night)
Roasted Pork Noodles: $4
Mango Milk Ice: $2.90
Roasted Chicken Rice: $4